Fallen soldier comes home
The body of a soldier with suburban ties who was killed in Iraq last week received a somber hero's welcome at a Waukegan airport this afternoon.
About 30 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, motorcycle enthusiasts who attend military funerals to honor fallen soldiers, waited with family members as the body of Cpl. Keith A. Nurnberg, of Genoa City, Wis., arrived at Waukegan Regional Airport.
The private jet carrying Nurnberg's remains was steered into a hangar after its 2:45 p.m. landing. The transfer to a silver hearse occurred privately inside.
Many of the Patriot Guard Riders carried U.S. flags into the hangar. Their motorcycles, some also adorned with flags, waited outside for an expected funeral procession to the Sugar Grove Funeral Chapel.
"These men and women over there are putting it on the line for us," said ride captain Joe Alger, of Crystal Lake. "It's the least I can do."
Nurnberg, formerly of McHenry, died Sept. 5 after his unit was attacked during a combat operation in Baghdad.
A 1999 McHenry West High School graduate, he was on his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was awarded the rank of corporal posthumously.
Nurnberg's widow, Tonya, is a third-grade teacher at Village Elementary School in Round Lake. Their first child is due in November.
Visitation for Nurnberg is scheduled for 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, 8103 Wilmot Road.
Prayers for Nurnberg will be said at 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, followed by a 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Church, 10519 N. Main St., Richmond.
Interment will be at Bloomfield Township Cemetery in Pell Lake, Wis.